"Engaged," I corrected. "Honestly, Rachel, does it surprise you? Blaine has always been--"

"Gorgeous?" She guessed with a smug smile.

My eyes rolled. "I was going to say committed."

Rachel still wore an expression of unadulterated shock, shaking her head slightly as if trying to grasp the reality of it all. I can't say that her reaction was unexpected. I, myself, was a bit taken aback upon hearing the news. But I was happy for Blaine. Clearly, he's had more luck in the relationship department than me since our breakup. I've always wanted what's best for him.

I stayed contently lost in my thoughts while Rachel kept prattling on about when she and Finn get engaged until we arrived at my building. Rachel turned around to face me and placed her hands forcefully on my shoulders, looking up to stare into my eyes with a determined expression. "Are you okay with this?"

I absently glanced at her hands. "Well, you look slightly terrifying."

"Not this," She swatted me on the arm. "I mean... Blaine."

My eyes widened for a mere moment as all of my emotions played out on my features--shock, confusion, contemplation and, finally, realization. "Rachel," I began calmly, removing her hands with my own. "It's been years... I don't--Honestly. I'm glad that he's happy."

She raises a skeptical eyebrow, but I merely grin at her until she gives in, says goodbye, and heads off to rehearsal. I, on the other hand, trudge inside the building.

My exhausted 'huff' as I sit down in my desk chair was not meant to draw any attention. Yet something tells me I could capture Lucas' attention by simply breathing. I settle my things out across my desk while his head of dark hair peered over the cubicle wall.

"Something wrong?" He questioned.

"Only the typical day-to-day mundaneness of office work," I grumble, not intending to sound so bitter. I never mean to take out my negative feelings on Lucas, but he always seems to be there when I'm most in need of an emotional punching bag. Besides, everyone knows I should be in the design room instead of a lowly intern.

Lucas bit his bottom lip unsurely. "We could take our lunch break together. It might help to talk to someone about it and I'm a great listener."

His coy wink probably had an undesirable effect on me considering how quickly I began racking my brain for excuses. "Oh, that sounds lovely, Lucas, but I'm afraid..."

I'm saved by the familiar tune of my ringtone softly singing from somewhere within the depths of my bag. I politely tell Lucas to give me a moment before I start searching for my cell phone. I answer it and scramble the device up to my ear before checking the caller ID. "Hello, Kurt Hummel speaking."

"Hello, Blaine Anderson calling," A voice practically sang through the earpiece. I was fairly certain my entire face went red at that point--for reasons I could not possibly begin to explain--so I turned around in my swivel chair to avoid Lucas' worried eyes.

"Blaine," I breathed out, my lips turning upward. "You called."

I heard his chuckle through the phone. "I told you I would."

"Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Dinner tonight. With me, Malory, you, and Rachel," Blaine said. "If you're both available, that is."

I did a mental check through my calendar. I got off of work at five, which was plenty of time to get ready for dinner. I wasn't sure about Rachel's rehearsal schedule, but something told me that she wouldn't want to miss this for the world. "I believe our schedules are clear. I'll have to call Rachel to make sure, though."

"Perfect!" I could hear Blaine grinning through the phone. "Meet us at 44th and 10th at seven?"

"We'll be there,"

"Great, see you tonight, Kurt,"

We both hung up and I swiveled back around without realizing I still had a foolishly wide grin spread across my face. Lucas was still leaning over the cubicle wall, staring me down as if I had just carved his heart out with a spoon.

Oh. Right. Lucas.

My smile fell instantly. "An old friend of mine... in town visiting..."

I should really stop trying to lie.

Lucas waved it off like the good sport he always is. "I understand."

He ducked back behind the cubicle wall and I didn't hear a peep from him for the rest of the day.

"Prada," Rachel stated to me plainly that evening in our apartment. She stood proudly in the threshold of my bedroom door while I paused to look at her, hairspray poised and ready to gently mist my hair.

I glanced over her outfit. "No, Nordstrom Rack."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Prada is your safe word."

"My safe word...?"

"For tonight," She continued to explain. "If things start getting awkward for you or if you can't handle it..."

My groan of frustration cut her off. "Rachel, honestly, tonight is going to be fine," I placed my hairspray down with a thud. "We're just friends catching up after high school, no harm done."

It sounded convincing enough, but even I knew better than to believe the words that come out of my mouth sometimes. How could it be no harm done with the history Blaine and I share? Tonight I would be meeting the man Blaine is going to marry.

And it won't be me.

Rachel gave an exasperated sigh as she fled my room, mumbling something about Prada still being the safe word. I picked up my hairspray again and applied a generous amount before standing in front of my full-length mirror to examine my entire outfit. My shirt was tucked into my favorite pair of jeans and my tie rested neatly down the front of my chest. Oh god, why was I nervous?

These strange nerves wouldn't seem to leave me even as Rachel and I hurried out of our apartment building and hailed a taxi on the side of the street. I mindlessly followed and nodded and pretended to be engaged in conversation while she prattled on about her day at rehearsal. I honestly tried to listen, but my head was swimming with fears and worries about tonight--perhaps Rachel was right about the safe word. I just kept picturing that devilishly handsome smile on Blaine's face... His perfectly unkempt curls and his arm wrapped tightly around another man.

It's normal, isn't it? It's normal to dwell on your first great love. My only great love, really. Besides, it's merely the memory of Blaine that I'm clinging so desperately to--it must be. He's a different person now and so am I. My foolishness needed to stop. And it did. The moment we pulled up in front of the restaurant, my heart twisted so tightly inside my chest that it was practically numb.

Rachel thanked and paid the taxi driver while I stumbled idiotically out the door, glancing around as if I were being hunted down. The cab drove off and her slender arm was hooked with my own in an instant. "Remember... Prada," She whispered in my ear as we walked through the front doors of 44th and 10th.

"Rachel," I scolded just as the sounds of murmured conversation and clinking silverware filled our ears. The hostess was busy with another party, but it was all for the best because as soon as we stepped forward, the familiar grin of Blaine was walking toward us across the dimly lit restaurant. My heart stuttered.

"Hey, guys!" Blaine greeted with just as much energy as he always had. He went to Rachel first--always the gentleman--and pulled her into a hug, kissing her quickly on the cheek. "Rachel, it's been so long. You look great!"

Rachel beamed. "Thank you, Blaine. It's so nice to see you again."

And then Blaine turned to me. His eyes were sparkling and his arms were open wide. A wide, dopey smile was still undoubtedly plastered on my face when I returned the embrace. "Hey, you," He said as his chin rested on my shoulder.

"Hello," I said back. Not the kind of suave or collected response I would have preferred, but I'll take it.

"We'll catch up over dinner," Blaine assured us, removing himself from my body, leaving me slightly punch drunk. "But first you have to meet Malory."

I don't exactly know why my expression dropped at the mention of Blaine's fianc�. I'm sure he was a perfectly wonderful gentleman--someone Blaine would be thrilled to spend the rest of his life with. Honestly, that was the very same reason why I was dreading it. What if he was perfect? What if he was filthy rich and shockingly resembled a Greek god? I spent the next few minutes following Blaine and Rachel to our table and mentally preparing a list of possible flaws this man could have, but we arrived at our destination before I knew it.

"Mal, these are my friends, Rachel and Kurt," Blaine motioned to us excitedly. "Rachel and Kurt, this is my fianc�, Malory Willington."

The man who stood from the table to greet us was stunning. His skin was the perfect balance of ivory and tan--not ghostly pale like myself. He had striking green eyes lined with long, luxurious lashes and thin pink lips that curled upward into a smile full of dimples. His face was sharp and defined--chiseled, even--but soft enough to pass as some kind of diplomat or royal heir. A styled mess of tousled golden hair rested on top of his head, a few stray pieces dangling down just above his neatly trimmed eyebrows.

Oh, dear god. Malory was a blond, six-foot-tall Adonis.

"Nice to meet you both," Malory's voice purred. "I've heard plenty from this cutie."

Malory snaked an arm around Blaine's waist, pulling him close to his side while he chuckled happily. The blond placed a kiss on Blaine's forehead just as Rachel pinched my arm. I shot her a glare.

"Shall we sit?" Rachel suggested with a bit too much sweetness. It broke the ice for a while. Malory finally retracted his arm from Blaine and I slid into my seat beside Rachel--a fine display of pre-marital PDA right before my very eyes.

After a while, the conversation, laughter, and wine were flowing among us. Turns out Rachel and Malory got along very well--I couldn't tell if it was due to their seemingly similar ambitious personalities or the fact that Rachel may have already had one glass of Merlot too many. Regardless, the two of them chatted animatedly about Sutton Foster's closing night performance of Anything Goes on Broadway while Blaine leaned an elbow on the table, watching with an elated grin. I, however, brooded in my seat--sipping idly at my wine and staring at the tablecloth with unfocused eyes.

It wasn't that I wasn't enjoying myself. I was thrilled to catch up on four years worth of lifetime with Blaine. Even Malory seemed like a very nice person. And there was never a dull moment whenever Rachel let herself get a little tipsy. The company was surely not the problem. It is... Well. I don't quite know. Perhaps it was the way Malory and Blaine kept winding their fingers together under the table. Or the way the blond Adonis would lean over every now and then to press a kiss on Blaine's temple.

Or perhaps it was just the wine.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt a gentle kick to my shin. My first instinct was to glance at Rachel, but she was still engrossed in conversation. Then I felt Blaine's honey eyes boring a hole through my head from across the table so I looked up to meet his persistent gaze. His eyebrows were pulled together in the subtlest display of concern as he mouthed a simple, You okay?

Even after all this time, it seemed that Blaine Anderson still had the uncanny ability to read me like an open book. Usually I was thankful for such a remarkable skill, but I really didn't feel like getting into it now in front of Rachel and Malory, of all people. So I nodded my head and sipped at my wine again. Blaine pretended to pout and flashed me a quick smile before turning his attention back to Malory who was now dragging him into the conversation.

"Blaine and I were planning on something modest," Malory explained to Rachel, his fingers casually trailing down the length of Blaine's arm. "Nothing too flashy."

There was a brief flicker of confusion on Blaine's face until he realized what they had been discussing. "The wedding, right. Yeah, we decided not to make it a huge spectacle."

Rachel sighed dreamily and leaned her elbows on the table. "Finn and I are going to be married, too... Soon. He just needs to propose..."

"When is the big day?" I asked over my glass. My eyes darted back and forth between Blaine and Malory who both looked at each other expectantly.

"May 20th," Malory answered. "Right after Blaine's graduation."

My eyes widened instinctively. It was already the beginning of March. As someone who had been planning imaginary weddings since the age of eight, I was certain that two months was a rush job.

"So soon," I commented offhandedly, pouring myself just a bit more to drink. "Any particular reason for such a last minute ceremony?"

I suppose my tone came off a bit more judgmental than curious because I suddenly felt three pairs of slightly stunned eyes latch themselves onto me. I blame the wine.

Malory smiled. "I just decided that--"

"You decided?" I blinked at Malory's perfect smirking face. "Doesn't Blaine get a say in his own marriage?"

"Of course he does--"

"Then I'm sure it was his decision alone to move to New York?" I countered. What was I doing? Stop now.

Rachel gently touched my shoulder. "Kurt..."

"I wanted to,"

Finally, the attention was taken off of me by a small yet unyielding voice that matched the uncomfortable look on Blaine's face. He turned to Malory and nodded his head. "I did... I wanted to."

There was silence at the table--unnerving and mind-grating silence. I gingerly lifted the wine bottle and poured the last of it into my glass.

"More wine anyone?"

The remainder of the dinner passed with polite conversation and little mention of wedding plans. I knew it was my fault for the newfound awkwardness and the way Blaine avoided eye contact with me for the rest of the night didn't go unnoticed. By the time we were leaving the restaurant, Rachel clung to a poor, defenseless Malory, lamenting her trials and tribulations over Finn's reluctance to wed.

Which left Blaine and I.

At first there was silence between us as we strolled casually down the street, every now and then giggling softly over something we overheard Rachel say to Malory from behind us.

"You seemed a little agitated back there," Blaine spoke up, eyes cast downward.

I sighed. "I should never be allowed to consume alcohol."

"I don't think that was it, Kurt," Blaine began slowly. "Look, I know it sounds like I was cornered into all of this and--honestly--if I had my way, I wouldn't have moved."

I looked at him, perplexed. "But you said..."

"I know," He breathed out, shaking his head as his eyes studied the ground. "I... Marriage is all about compromise, Kurt."

I attempted to stifle my scoff. "Where's the compromise in this? It seems pretty black or white to me."

Finally, Blaine tore his gaze off the ground and looked straight into my eyes, honey meeting cerulean. "I love him. Isn't that enough?"

It would be so easy to blame the wine again like I did for all my other faux pas over the course of the evening. But, this time, it wasn't the alcohol coursing through my veins. This was pure instinct--the kind of instinct I developed over the course of my relationship with Blaine. I could read him almost as well as he could read me. And there was something in his words--a certain tone, perhaps--that sounded so trapped.

"It should be," I answered, offering a small smile. Just as the corners of Blaine's lips were beginning to lift, a hysterical and snorting Rachel Berry laugh caught our attention. She came bounding up to us with Malory still in tow, grinning wide and giggling under her breath.

"Malory is so hilarious, Kurt," Rachel told me, clinging to my arm and letting Malory retreat to safety. "We didn't even need our safe word tonight!"

Blaine quirked a brow. "Safe word?"

"We should get going!" I announced, raising my hand to hail an oncoming cab. The yellow taxi came to a screeching halt by the curbside while I turned back to Blaine and Malory.

"I missed you so much!" Rachel cooed, grabbing either side of Blaine's face and quickly pressing her lips to his. "Let's keep in touch!" With that, she barreled into the cab, leaving a blushing Blaine.

"Malory, it was a pleasure," I grinned politely and held out my hand to shake his own.

"Of course," He responded easily, a forced smile stretching across his stupid-perfect face.

I faced Blaine. "Goodbye, Bl--"

His arms wrapped around me tight and I was spellbound once again. We could both sense Malory's apprehension, but Blaine lingered by my ear long enough to whisper, "I'll call you."

I gave them both a final wave before disappearing inside the cab. I watched the couple walk down the street, hands clasped and shoulders brushing together. My heart twisted strangely.

I slid down in my seat, letting Rachel lean her head on my shoulder and sing into my ear for the rest of the drive home.